Autocommerce 2017

Retailers from the automotive and powersports world gathered together on Monday for our annual pre-Catalyst event focused on key e-commerce strategies in the evolving automotive space.

Tracie Nunez, of the newly rebranded Custom Auto Network, shared some insight on the current state of the automotive industry — where it’s going and what retailers need to be doing to meet consumer expectations.

In addition to Tracie, Sara Waters from Google and Valerie Anders from ChannelAdvisor broke down the incredible digital marketing opportunity in the automotive industry right now.

A Fireside Chat With Martha Stewart

Catalyst got off to a great start with a fireside chat between ChannelAdvisor CEO David Spitz and the one and only Martha Stewart. Cookbooks, consumer goods, television shows, social media… Martha is more than a savvy entrepreneur: She’s her own brand.

Martha and David chatted about how she built her empire and how she manages to keep her brand relevant in an increasingly fragmented media landscape. The short version: authenticity and consistency.

Also, she stressed the importance of embracing technology and expanding your brand where and how consumers spend their time. From her first cookbook decades ago to being an early “guinea pig” for Facebook Live, she’s succeeded in creating an enduring, iconic brand that has spanned multiple generations — a feat any brand should aspire to.

The State of E-Commerce: 2017

The annual keynote by CEO David Spitz is always a Catalyst highlight.

David’s address mirrored the overall theme of Catalyst 2017 — “Connected E-Commerce” — and featured an intro video that followed a specific red dress from the factory spool to the shopping bag and all the complicated touch points in between.

The keynote served as a “state of e-commerce” industry update, filled with amazing statistics, insights and predictions. But his focus was on five areas of importance for sellers in 2017:

The growing market share of e-commerce

Mobile as a disrupter

Amazon’s continued growth and influence

The evolution of brands

Logistics: “The next major battlefield”

David wrapped his session with some exciting news: the biggest single expansion to ChannelAdvisor’s product suite in our history. Keep your ears to the ground for the full, official Spring Expanded Product Suite announcement later this month. For now, though, here’s a preview…

Competitive Environment Dashboard for Amazon: Helps sellers understand the competitive landscape, where they may be losing market share and identify growth opportunities — all in one dashboard.

Vendor Drop Ship: Streamlines the order fulfillment process to ensure that customers have a consistent and positive experience with retailers (e.g., Amazon, Overstock) selling their products.

Algorithmic Repricer for eBay: Reprices products to help sellers stay competitive and gain visibility by winning one of the three listings “above the fold.”

Ultimately, these updates are just the most recent steps in our ongoing mission to connect and optimize the world’s commerce, and we’re extremely excited about what the future has in store.

Keynotes, Breakouts and Networking, Oh My

In addition to e-commerce roundtables, “Ask the Expert” working sessions, and over a dozen breakouts that dove deep into a broad range of topics, the rest of Catalyst featured an impressive lineup of keynote speakers from many of the industry’s major players: Facebook, FedEx Ground, eBay, Google, Alibaba and Walmart.

Closing out Catalyst was Scott Galloway, founder and chairman of L2. Scott has built quite a following on YouTube for his trademark combination of wit and wisdom, and his rapid-fire industry insights gave an interesting (and often irreverent) snapshot at what the retail landscape looks like today and what it may look like in the months and years to come.

From the opening keynote to the final breakout session (and everything in between), retailers, brands and industry experts from all over the world immersed themselves in everything e-commerce for two and a half days. Lots of connections were made. Connections to new partners, new channels, new ideas and new strategies.